TSN Endpoint Congestion Control for Industrial Automation Streams
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Solution Overview
Problem
Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) in industrial automation systems often experiences congestion due to varying timing requirements of different applications, leading to communication degradation such as jitter, latency, and dropped packets, which existing technologies fail to effectively address.
Innovation Solution
A method and arrangement where endpoint devices in a TSN network detect communication degradation and perform congestion limiting activities, including increasing the application cycle time, adjusting network clock offsets, changing transmission priorities, setting packets to be droppable, and throttling transmissions, to mitigate congestion based on specific degradation types.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple applications with different timing requirements are employed in a TSN network, then the network can support diverse industrial automation applications, but network congestion occurs leading to communication degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by tailoring congestion limiting activities to specific applications and their individual timing requirements. Each application can have customized congestion management parameters, allowing the system to handle diverse applications with different quality requirements locally rather than applying a uniform approach across the entire network.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by enabling endpoint devices to dynamically adjust application cycle times and perform congestion limiting activities based on real-time network conditions. The system continuously monitors communication degradation and adapts its behavior to maintain reliability under varying load conditions.
2Reliability
If the application cycle time is increased to limit congestion, then network congestion is reduced, but the timing requirements of time-sensitive applications may not be met
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making application cycle times adjustable rather than fixed. Endpoint devices can dynamically increase cycle times during congestion events and restore original timing when network conditions improve, allowing the system to balance congestion control with timing requirements adaptively.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements parameter changes by modifying the application cycle time parameter in response to detected communication degradation. This parameter adjustment is one of several congestion limiting activities that can be applied to reduce network load while managing the impact on application timing.
3Reliability
If congestion limiting activities are performed at the network level, then overall network congestion is reduced, but application-specific requirements are not addressed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by enabling endpoint devices to autonomously detect communication degradation and perform congestion limiting activities without requiring external network control. Each endpoint independently monitors its own communication quality and takes corrective actions, allowing application-specific requirements to be addressed locally.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by continuously monitoring communication degradation metrics and using this information to trigger appropriate congestion limiting activities. The system closes the control loop by detecting network conditions and automatically adjusting behavior in response, ensuring application-specific requirements are met.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, arrangement, computer program and computer program product for improving communication between devices of an industrial automation system running automation applications as well as to such an industrial automation system. The devices include a first and a second endpoint device of a communication path for a data stream through a time sensitive network and for which a corresponding application has an application cycle time at which the first and second endpoint device are to transmit data to each other. The first endpoint device detects a communication degradation of the data stream, which communication degradation is indicative of congestion and performs a congestion limiting activity from a group of congestion limiting activities, which group at least includes an activity of increasing the application cycle time of the data stream.